Bangkok cabbies the third worst, says UK taxi rating site

[AloisAmrein]

Last January I took a taxi in Banglampoo and I wanted to go to the train station for Kanchanaburi in Bangkok Noi, The driver took me to a wrong place, he did not even know about a train station with train to Kanchanaburi. He had to stop several times and ask other taxi drivers about where to go. Finally arriving at the train station in Bangkok Noi he wanted me to pay the full fare. I paid him the half fare. Stupidity has not to be paid.

[Bangel72]

As others have highlighted the source highlights 35 minute journeys for around £50 and they will want a decent tip on top of that.

When Bangkok taxi's start asking for 2500 baht for journey to the airport then we might get a decent comparison.

I am also not too sure how many London cabbies will get the directions correct if they are only given them in a second language like Thai, or will at least try and get you where you are going.

[bradeearl]

Been going backwards and forwards to Thailand for over 15 years. Never really had a problem. ( Though I am married to a Thai National). Have to say though that Black Cab driver are not a "great" as everybody thinks and should clean their own house before critisising others.

These black cabs are the only cabs you can get when arriving in the UK, and not for the 1st time we got into a black cab at Heathrow and asked the price to to drive to Windsor, (a distance of around 7 miles for those not familiar) and was told the fare would be around £120 !!!!

As I am a chauffeur I recognized he was trying to rip me off and told him so, only to be told " Its outside London governor, I can charge what I like". Incidentally Heathrow is outside of London as well, but I don't think the black cab driver acknowledged that!

Black cab drivers here have a license to print money and think because they have to take "the Knowledge" and are "professional" they are the best in the world. They are rude, arrogant and mostly a bunch of cowboys who rip passengers off. They are also generally the 1st people that tourists see when they arrive outside heathrow airport and the 1st thing they do is rip them off. They are a disgrace and should be ashamed of themselves, rather than trying to rate other countries!

[coffeeman]

I find the drivers in bkk, good, aircon is on, rides are cheap, you say <, METER, or you can arrange a fare, so the driver can pocket it from his boss..

no problems.. TUK TUKS are a rip off,..

now, london cabs! talk about expensive! jesus..

usa too,

taxi drivers are charging heaps in the west.. &lt;deleted&gt; rip off actually and they still complain!
I took a cab in LA, went about 5 minutes down the street, cost 20 bucks.. so a cabbie is making 20 bucks for 5 minutes work!

they act like its a hard profession, low money, long hours!!! &lt;deleted&gt; OFF... go and wash dishes in a restaurant for 10 hours then you'll know hard work

[slapout]

i blame TAT for problems with fares drivers, traffic congestion etc. this mininistry must do less for the good of the employment ot thais in tourist business, tourist attraction, info about hazards for locals and tourist to look for there is so much they could do to make things better for eveveryone but they look after only themselves and skim as much as possible. there is still a mother / daught holed up i england who should be in jail and paying back what the stole.

[keith7777]

Most taxis I have taken over the years in Bangkok have been OK.

Not much to complain about.

I second this, I have not really run across gross price gouging in BKK, just talk to the driver before getting into his cab. Prices are high in some places, as far as the airport to town or pattaya, if you take the private cars or mini buses they can be very pricy.

I agree though, not much to complain about.

[richard_smith237]

There are good alternatives to using a flag-fall taxi... i.e. GrabTaxi & UBER... once these applications are used to book a Taxi the issue significantly diminish.

Just this week I had little option but to use a Taxi Waiting outside a club... I realised I was in a potentially sticky situation... I faked a phone call as I got in the Taxi I spoke the number of the taxi and said this guy seems good to my fake friend on the other end of the fake phone call.

The Taxi driver was actually ok... not a total rogue... He took me to the main street, then apologised before kicking me out of the Taxi... To his credit he flagged down another taxi and passed over my destination information. My trip continued without issue...

(I'm guessing) It seems he wanted to go back to the club and pick up 'other tourists'... who I'm sure he would have more success in fleecing.

Earlier on in the evening I'd also taken a taxi with friends, an amusing conversation with the taxi driver ensued involving Thai mispronunciation and the trouble we could get ourselves into...

So... Not all bad... But lets face it... there very little guarantee of anything more than a 50% chance of 'ride satisfaction'... Taking a taxi in Thailand remains somewhat of a gamble...

Don't agree with me?... are you 100% sure your next (conventional) taxi ride will be trouble free?... because I'm more than 90% sure that my next UBER ride will be fine.

[soihok]

KL has two kinds of cabs.

The blue ones are non haggling cabs but the metre tariffs are more than an ordinary cab.

The ordinary cabs are really hit and miss. It was rare I got one on the metre, they usually would name their price and you had to haggle. Most were ok, got some real puss faces at times though.

Lived in KL centre between 2012 and 2014

Edited July 6, 2015 by soihok

[soihok]

If you want good cabs.

Come to Singapore

[Fab5BKK]

Never had any problem in Shenzhen (with official and non-official ones)

[than]

BKK cabbies the third worst, says UK taxi rating site

That's a surprise

[Jay Sata]

There is an express train that leaves from the KL (Kuala Lumpur) airport every 30 minutes (or less during peak hours). The train costs at least one-third the cost of the taxi fare, the ride is smooth, the coaches clean and appear new. No hassles and no rude drivers.

Sometimes people should consider the excellent public transportation that is available and not always insist upon using cars.

I have used that quite a few times in to KL Sentral and then made the short walk to the skytrain.

Sadly Bangkok is not so integrated.

[jackspade]

I've lived in Thailand for 2 years, never once had a single issue with a taxi driver.

Someone I know got in a bad fist fight with one though after he demanded an exorbitant amount of $$$.

Edited July 8, 2015 by jackspade

[simondan]

KL taxis and their drivers are a disgrace. Pirates on 4 wheels.

[6thST]

I think the taxi service has moved up the number 1 for being the worst service and most dangerous....